Shine (Kentucky Outlaw Book 1) Read online

  by Rayna Bishop

  Shine: A Kentucky Outlaw Novel (Book 1)

  © 2015 Rayna Bishop

  All Rights Reserved

  This story is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental.

  Edited by F.L. Bradham

  Advanced Read by Josephine Mason

  Cover design by Yoly Cortez - Cormar Covers

  Acknowledgements

  This novel couldn’t have happened without the help of several people. I want to thank my editor, F. L. Bradham, for all her wonderful comments and suggestions. I came up with the story, but she shaped it into the finished product. Josephine Mason’s input invaluable and helped guide me towards something better. As always, Davida Lynn’s help was paramount to my success and I owe her more than a simple thanks in these pages.

  Of course, I have to thank the people who have reached out and supported me. You are the very best!

  Love,

  Rayna

  [email protected]

  Stay up to date on the second part in the Kentucky Outlaw series, plus all my new releases by joining my mailing list!

  This novel is dedicated to my very patient friends and family. I absolutely could not have done it without your support.

  It’s also dedicated to my fans. Thank you so much for your words of encouragement.

  Also by Rayna Bishop

  The Black Ice Motorcycle Club

  Revenge

  Crash

  Burn

  On an early and unexpectedly sunny day in March, Ethan Dalton was speeding down Interstate 65, the needle of the Mustang GT pushing just past 90. The stereo was blasting soul music from the heart of Alabama, and Ethan felt the rhythm of the music beat with the rhythm of the road. It was on the road he felt most at home, with the stereo loud and the engine rumbling.

  He was just north of Indianapolis, and he estimated getting to the Kentucky border in two hours. He could have hit his father’s front door in just over four hours if he kept pushing, but he wasn’t going to. His brother Ged had ordered him to return home and Ethan supposed he’d have to get there eventually, but he felt no rush — not when the sun was shining and the road lay wide open. No, he’d take the long way and get there tomorrow. Maybe the day after.

  Just as he hit the city and traffic slowed, his phone buzzed. He saw it was his brother calling so Ethan hit the silence button and kept driving. At the last minute he decided against staying on 65 and headed towards Bloomington. His phone rang again, but again he ignored it. Ethan knew he’d pay for it later. Ged, his brother, would yell at him about it, but that was fine. He could add it to the list of disappointments he thought Ethan was guilty of.

  Once the Mustang pulled into Bloomington, Ethan drove slowly through the town, taking in the sights and letting them fill his memory. He passed through the square, then took a quick tour past Indiana University. As he drove through the campus he pulled Carol Lynn’s number up on the phone and the call came through the car speakers. He preferred talking on the phone while driving—it made it seem like he was in more control.

  The phone rang a couple of times and he wondered if she’d pick up.

  “Ethan Dalton,” she said, her voice coming through the car speakers.

  “Hiya, Carol Lynn. What’re you up to?”

  “Not much. I have to get into the lab at some point today, but I haven’t found the energy for it yet.”

  She sounded good. It was nice to know living so far north hadn’t robbed her of the slight southern accent that had attracted him to her in the first place.

  “How about dinner? We can hit up that bar on the corner you love so much, the one with the tenderloin sandwich.”

  “You’re in town?”

  “Just got here.”

  She hesitated, but agreed to dinner. She gave him her new address and told him to give her thirty minutes to get ready.

  Ethan killed time by continuing his tour of Bloomington. There wasn’t enough time to see everything in thirty minutes, but he could hit the highlights. He drove past his old apartment, which was actually half of the top floor of an old house. The place had been in such poor shape when he lived there that he was half surprised to see it still standing. He had kissed Carol Lynn for the first time outside of this place. It had been a starless night after they had returned from the bars. He knew she hadn’t expected him to do it, but she didn’t resist when he pressed his lips to hers. He invited her upstairs with him, but she turned him down. Not in a way that made him think she was angry at him, but in a sexy way that told him to take his time and he’d get what he wanted. Ethan had never had much patience, but he waited for her.

  He pulled his Mustang up to Carol Lynn’s house, a little ranch house about a ten minute drive from campus. Her car was in the driveway and he was happy to see she was still driving the Camry he’d help her pick out. There was another car in the driveway as well and as he walked up to the door he wondered if it belonged to a roommate or something more.

  He rapped quickly on the front door and a small, very pretty blonde answered the door.

  “Don’t tell me you’re Dalton,” she said as he walked inside.

  “Guess I have a bit of a reputation,” he said, looking around the place.

  It was a nice house with wood floors and a lot of sunlight streaming through the windows. A better place than he had expected from a second year grad student.

  “Not much, but she’s talked about you before. My name’s Mary.”

  “How do?”

  Mary wasn’t wearing much of anything, just a tight pair of shorts and a little tank top that she filled out very nicely. She might’ve just been wearing her lazing around the house clothes, but her hair was done up and she was wearing a touch of makeup.

  “Carol’s should be out in a minute, she’s just getting ready. You want a drink?”

  “Got any bourbon?” Ethan asked.

  “Are you kidding? You think the Queen of Kentucky would run dry on bourbon?”

  Ethan smiled. “No, I guess not.”

  She led him into the kitchen and he watched her walk away in the shorts. Even though she knew Ethan was there for Carol Lynn, she still seemed to be putting on a show for him, making sure he noticed her, and he definitely did.

  On top of the fridge there were bottles of Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and Pappy Van Winkle.

  “The Turkey’s just fine,” Ethan said.

  She poured him a healthy slug without ice, which he appreciated. Mary got herself a beer out of the fridge, taking a little longer than she needed while bending over to grab the bottle.

  Ethan leaned back against the counter and sipped his drink. Mary took a long pull of her beer, her eyes not leaving his.

  “So, if I don’t have much of a reputation why were you surprised it was me?” said Ethan.

  Mary shrugged. “She doesn’t talk about you often, but when she does she gets this kind of funny look in her eye. Kind of talks about you like you’re a fairy tale or something. Like a combination cowboy and white knight.”

  Ethan laughed and took another drink. Neither one of those things was true, but it made him feel good to know he was thought of fondly.

  “Sorry to disappoint,” he said, “But I don’t own a hat or sword.”

  “Next you’re going to tell me you didn’t come to town on a horse.”

  “Never even been on one.”

  They heard footsteps and turned to see Carol Lynn appear in the doorway. Her brown hair was longer than the last time he saw her, and she had tied it back away from her face. She was wearing dark jeans and red IU t-shirt.

 
“Hey, Dalton,” she said, a little smile on her face.

  “Hiya, Carol Lynn.”

  He stepped to her and gave her a little kiss on the cheek. Her hands slid around his waist just a bit and he felt chills run up his back. He had forgotten she could do that to him.

  “You hungry?” he asked.

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  “I’m hungry,” said Mary.

  Ethan turned back to her and said, “Sorry, Carol Lynn and I got some catching up to do.”

  Ethan swallowed the last of his bourbon and they left Mary pouting in the kitchen. On the way out the door Carol Lynn grabbed her old leather jacket and they were out the door.

  She got to the car and said, “Still got the Mustang, huh?”

  He slid in behind the wheel and said, “Tenderloin sandwich?”

  “There’s a nice vegetarian restaurant downtown. How about that?”

  “Please don’t say you went all hippie on me.”

  “I didn’t go all hippie, but I don’t eat meat anymore.”

  At the restaurant Ethan took twenty minutes trying to figure out what he wanted, then decided on something called a tempeh Reuben. He used to get Reubens at a little sandwich shop in Chicago and liked them, but he doubted a meatless version would be much good. Carol Lynn ordered the tofu fried chicken and the waiter brought them a round of beers.

  “How you been?” she asked.

  “Fairly well, I guess. I can’t complain anyway. How about you?”

  “I’m good. I’m about to get my master’s degree so I’m pretty excited right now.”

  “What comes after that?” he asked.

  “I’m off to get my doctorate.”

  “Guess I’ll have to start calling you Doctor Carol Lynn.”

  She flashed him that smile he loved and said, “You know no one up here calls me Carol Lynn. It’s always just Carol. I have to go back home to hear the full name.”

  Ethan took a pull of his beer and said, “Can I ask you something? What’s the deal with your roommate? She always answer the door in her underwear?”

  Carol Lynn cocked an eyebrow at him. “You complaining? If I’d walked in any later I might have found you two going at it on the kitchen counter.”

  “She got a way of catching the eye, I’ll admit, but you know she ain’t my type.”

  “Well you’re her type. You’re strong, opinionated, and terse. She’s from Fort Wayne, and you’d think she’d never heard a southern accent before. When my brother came to visit I thought I was going to have to put him up in a hotel. But to answer your question, yeah, she’s always dressed like she’s expecting a guy to show up. Spends half an hour getting ready just to lie around the house. You wouldn’t believe how long it takes her to go to the movies. You want her number?”

  Ethan shook his head. “I like them sturdier than that. Say the wrong thing to her and she’d likely throw herself off a bridge. How’d you get hooked up with her?”

  “She owns the house. Well, her father does anyway. Rent is cheap, and it’s better than anything else I could find.”

  The waiter came with their food and Ethan tentatively took a bite. Carol Lynn watched him chew and swallow.

  “I’ll be damned. That is pretty good,” he said. “Never tell there’s no meat on that.”

  “I knew you’d like this place, even if I had to drag you here.”

  They ate mostly in silence and Ethan enjoyed every bite of his sandwich. The waiter asked if they wanted another round of beers, but Carol Lynn said there was a great bar around the corner, so Ethan paid and they walked over.

  The bar was called Maps for some reason, and it was a single large room covered in wood from floor to ceiling. It gave Ethan the feeling of being on an old ship. He ordered a Wild Turkey at the bar, but Carol Lynn told the bartender they’d take two manhattans. Ethan didn’t usually go in for mixed drinks, but she had scored major points with her choice of restaurant so he went with it.

  Only three tables were occupied, so they carried their drinks to a padded corner booth where they could watch the sunset.

  “I like this place,” he said. “It’s quiet, not too full of college kids.”

  “It gets pretty busy in here around ten, but it’s nice. The crowd’s a little older and there aren’t many trouble makers. It’s only been open about a year so it wasn’t here when you were still around.”

  The way she said “still around” let Ethan know she was still pissed, if only a little bit, with how things had ended between them.

  “OK, let’s get into it,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Come on. You want to get into me leaving, so let’s do it.”

  “How’s your drink?” Carol Lynn asked.

  Ethan took a drink. He nodded in approval.

  “Glad you like it,” Carol Lynn said. “I’m not mad at you for leaving, Ethan. I know why you left and I knew you weren’t going to hang around forever.

  “How’s that?”

  “Jesus, Ethan, do you think I’m an idiot? You rolled into town in that car of yours, started working construction and sharing a flophouse with a guy who must’ve been a drug dealer. You didn’t have that long term feel. The night we met you even told me Bloomington was the third town you’d lived in in two months. Hell, I’m surprised you stayed as long as you did.”

  “And you still let me into your bed?”

  She nodded. “You won’t believe this, but you were really good for me when I needed it. Stephen had just left me, I was drinking too much and I was going to hook up with someone. I’m actually really glad it was you. I knew we weren’t getting married, so I wasn’t mad you left. I was mad at the way you left.”

  Ethan took another drink and nodded. He didn’t need her to remind him how he’d left. They were supposed to meet for dinner and he showed up twenty minutes late with his car packed with the very few possessions he owned and said he was taking off.

  He averted her gaze and looked out the window at the last of the daylight. Just beyond the roofs of nearby buildings the light had turned the sky into the color of a deep bruise. She touched the side of his face and pulled him back to her.

  “It’s OK, I’m not mad anymore. It’s been a year and a half and we were only together a few months. The scar has healed, I promise.”

  “You deserved better than that,” he said.

  “Damn right I did.”

  They finished their drinks and took a walk around the town, reliving old memories while Carol Lynn caught Ethan up on their mutual friends. When he drove her home, they sat in his car outside her house. Neither of them wanted Carol Lynn to get out just yet.

  “I never asked, where’re you headed now?” she said.

  “Back to Remington.”

  “Wow, you’re actually going home.”

  “Yeah.” A Band of Horses song came over the radio and Ethan turned up the volume to hear it a little more and to avoid the question of why he was heading back there. “I’m actually going through Asheville. You want to come with me? We can hit the town for a few days and you can see your folks.”